1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to apparatus and methods for the treatment and processing of semiconductor wafers.
2. Prior Art
Semiconductor wafers are utilized in the modern electronics industry for the production of very large scale integrated (VLSI) circuits and Ultra Large Scale Integrated (UlSI) circuits and chips and the like. Such semiconductor wafers must go through a wide variety of high manufacturing standards steps in order to produce a perfect semiconductor product.
During that production process, the wafers must be treated by a series of sequential steps. The processing of these wafers may include oxidation, ion implantation, thermal annealing, deposition, etching, passivation and packaging. The thermal annealing and solder reflow may be some of the most important steps in VLSI/ULSI. Some prior art processing operations may include the use of a continuous drive belt through a furnace heating and a cooling zones. Such a system, however, requires large clean rooms, and they operate under expensive operating conditions. Other prior art processing may be done on semiconductor wafers in a batch process. Uniformity and consistency of a product is difficult to maintain or achieve in these processes. Such prior art operations in either a belt or batch process are also often very expensive and very complicated.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a wafer processing operation which simplifies the automation needed to effectively and efficiently handle and treat a semiconductor wafer.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a semiconductor wafer processing arrangement which minimizes the equipment size required for this operation.
It is yet a still further object of the present invention to provide a wafer processing arrangement which minimizes the cost of such wafer processing.
It is still yet a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for the continuous treatment of semiconductor wafers in a clean and controllable manner not found in the prior art.